The Best Food Choices You're Not Making

You've heard about ridding your diet of anything your grandparents wouldn't recognize, but it goes back farther than that. Turns out, we've made our food less healthy over the past 10,000 years. But getting back to the basics is as simple as a trip to the grocery store.

Phytonutrients

Phytonutrients

In the thousands of years since humans became farmers, we've unwittingly bred the nutrition out of our food, removing from it compounds called phytonutrients. Only now are we realizing that these naturally occurring, plant-protecting chemicals can likely help us, too. "Early studies show that phytonutrient-rich fruits and vegetables have the potential to reduce our risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, boost our energy, and slow down the aging process," says Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side. "Each fruit and vegetable has hundreds of phytonutrients. That's why people are so excited about them." But not all foods are created equal — you'll get radically different nutritional punch from varieties of corn, apples, lettuce, onions and more.

Apples

Apples

An apple a day may keep the doctor away — but only if you choose wisely. The most nutritious options include Braeburn, Cortland, Gala, Honeycrisp, McInthosh, and Red Delicious, with tart, green Granny Smiths taking the ultimate prize. If you do settle on a red variety, look for those with the deepest coloring, and munch on the skin as well as the flesh. "Apples in full sun turn red, and when we eat them, we benefit," says Robinson. "The ones that are the reddest had to produce the most phytonutrients." Skip Elstar, Empire, Ginger Gold, Golden Delicious and Pink Ladies, which can have as little as eight percent of the phytonutrients of better-for-you apples.